«Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted» (Matthew 5:11, NIV).
Strange as it may seem, prayers of lament are an act of hope. Lamenting in God’s presence is doing exactly the opposite of yielding to cynicism. Lamenting implies trusting that, at some point and in some way, we will be comforted. Lamenting is leaving our hearts open and sensitive, instead of petrifying them and locking them up with seven keys. That is why many laments, although not all of them, end with praise. Many laments end with a short phrase that, despite not providing an answer to all the whys, redirect the flow of emotions toward Heaven.
For instance, in Psalm 13, David begins his prayer by saying, «O Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?» (w. 1, 2, NLT). However, after pouring out His anguish on God, David ends the same psalm by saying, «But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me» (w. 5, 6, NLT). His enemies were still pursuing him, his situation had not changed at all! David does not say he trusts in God because he has a blind and childish optimism. On the contrary! Clearly seeing the difficulty of his situation, and without denying the complexity of his feelings, David redirects his attention to Heaven. It is a beautiful act of spiritual boldness: it is an act of rebellious hope.
The enemy’s plan is to separate us from God. Be it through pain or pleasure, his intention is to disconnect us from the flow of divine love. Prayers of lament are powerful because they keep us connected, both to our true emotions and to our reason to hope. Although not every lament has to end with a phrase of praise (in fact, not all of David’s psalms end that way), the purpose of lamenting is to reconnect us with hope. Laments keep us united with a God who hears, cares and wants to share in our pain.
Dear Lord, thank You because I can talk to You frankly and clearly. Knowing You want to know about my darkest and hardest feelings moves me and gives me hope. You are truly the God who sees me.